Wearing apparel



19377 D. DOCTORS 2,091,753

WEARING APPAREL Filed Feb. 26, 1936 INVENTOR. 00/?077/[17 DOC70/75 ATTORNEY.

Patented Aug. 31, 1937 PATENT :oFFICE WEARING APPAREL Dorothea Doctors, New York, N. Y., assignonby mesne assignments, to Dorothea Doctors and Sydney A. Fox, copartners, New York, N. Y., trading under name of Dorothea Doctors Application February 26, 1936, Seriall'No. 65,793

2 Claims.

My invention relates in general to womens'ar ticles of dress and in particular to those classes commonly known as halters and brassieres.

The invention has for a purpose the provision of apparel of the aforementioned type which is structurally characterized by having portions'or parts thereof designed, combined, constructed, arranged and relatively located to provide the functional advantages of maintaining the natural line of division between the breasts while at the same time providing the requisite draping; of supporting, retaining and shaping the bust into lines of youthful contour and of correcting the line, shape or'contour of each breast. Such garment conforms to the natural curves of the figure without tension and affords a maximum of support.

A further purpose of this invention is the creation of a novel halter or the like or article for similar purpose having breast-receiving cups or pockets formed and constructed in such a way as to give the desired breast receiving and supporting configuration, and draping.

A still further purpose of this invention is the creation of a halter or the like out of a material particularly adapted by its structure to greatly facilitate the formation and maintenance of breast-receiving cups or pocketslending to the produced garment both flexibility and the desired semi-rigidity.

The above several advantageous purposes are attained by the novel design, construction and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, constituting a feature of this disclosure, and in which: i

Fig. 1 is a front View of a garment having shoulder straps and embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a front View of a halter embodying the invention.

Fig. 3 is a'sectional view taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of a material from which the article may be constructed.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of such material.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a garment similar to that shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a detail view of a portion of the garment looking at the inside.

Fig. 8 is a detail view of another portion of the garment looking at the inside.

Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken long line 9--9 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 10 is a sectional view taken along line ||J||J of Fig. 2.

The embodiments of my invention shown in Figs. 1 and 2 illustrate bust-encircling garments, such as for example, ha'lters', or the like, designed for use in conjunctionwith shorts, slacks, trunks and skirts, and in general'for beach, bathing and sportswear. The article shown in Fig. 6 is adapted for use as an undergarment.

In the drawing there is discloseda body of suitable material having a bust-encircling portion l4 including a pair of breast-receiving bust pockets or cups l5 joined together at their confronting edges, and a band orbelt'| 6 joined to portion M at its lower edge by a seam or line of stitching S. At their remote edges portion l4 and band I6 may be extended to form extensions H and I8 adapted to be connected at their meeting ends by suitable complementary fastening means, such as'for example,'hooks and eyes l9 for securing the garment as a whole about the body of the wearer.

In Figs. 1 and 6 shoulder straps 20, and in Fig. 2, the neck encircling strap 2| connect the pockets l5 inextended position at the front of the body.

The bust-encircling portion |4 maybe further described ash avin'g identical end sections 22, 23 joined to a middle or intermediate part by the lines of stitches or seams 24, 33. The said intermediate part may comprise identical upper center sections 25, 26 joined by the vertical medial linesof stitches or seam 21 and identical lower center sections 28, 29 joined by the vertical medial seam'or lines of stitches 21, usually an extension of seam 21.

' Upper section is joined to lower section 28 by the seam and upper section 26 is joined to lower section 29 by the seam 30; the seam 30' may form a continuation of seam 30, and these seams extend generally horizontally and approximately in alignment across the bust-encircling portion to or through the middle thereof.

The bust supporting members or substantially cone-shapedbust-receiving pockets or cups 5 are formed in the intermediate part by the said upper and lower sections. For this purpose lower center sections 28, 29 have their upper edges gabled, with their respective apices 3|, 32 substantially midway between the medial seam 21, 21' and the respective side seams 24, 33. These gabled topedges are united or seamed respectively to the lower edges of upper center sections 25, 26 by the lines of stitching 30, 30.

Extending substantially along the vertical medial lines of sections 28, 29 and from substantially their respective apices 3|, 32 coincident with the vertices of the cone-like bust-supporting member l5 are the substantially triangular or tapered pleats or folds 34, having their apices substantially coincident with the apices 3i, 32. These triangular pleats are not seen at the front of the garment, Each is formed by bringing together the material on the inside of the garment, folding down the brought-together doubled portion and stitching the same by a line of stitches 35 such that the resultant pleat or fold is tapered or triangular with its apex located at its top. An edge of the folded-over portion and the stitching 35 appear on the outside of the garment as the seam 36. The drawing shows the folds or pleats 34 formed out of both the bust-encircling portion I4 and the band I6. Besides playing a part in the construction of the pockets or cups I5 giving added fullness at the rise of the busts, pleats 34 also function as reinforcing means when the garment is worn.

Divergingly or diagonally extending inwardly from the upper edges of upper section 25, 26 are the small substantially triangular pleats or folds 31 having their apices in, the vicinity of pockets l5, and which may be formed in a manner similar to the pleats 34.

These pleats or folds play a part in adding fullness to the pockets l5.

At or adjacent the seams 30, 39 and between the apices 3|, 32 the material (preferably of lower sections 28, 29) is brought together at the front or outside of the garment and folded-over forming a substantially horizontal pleat or fold 38, the center or intermediate area or portion 39, on either side of the vertical medial line substantially coincident with the seam 21, of which is stitched hat to the material adjacent thereto by stitches 49. Stitches- 49 are shown as presenting a box-like rectangular outline, this being found preferable, although any other suitable outline may be employed. By folding and stitching the materialas just described the material between the busts is thus flattened and a natural line of division between the breasts is maintained. At the same time the requisite draping 4| is obtained by the ends of the fold being unsecured and added fullness at the rise of the busts, given.

I have found that by using a ribbed or raised figured fabric 42 having a substantially fiat base 43 (see Figs. 4, 5) such as for example, the cloth known as pique, in the construction of the garment, particularly for the sections 25, 26, 28, 29, an instrumentality' is employed which gives the required flexibility and semi-rigidness and exceptionally facilitates the formation and the maintenance of the breast-receiving pockets or cups while the garment is worn. Another advantage is that this material may be obtained in various figured designs, colors and combination of colors and a complete halter, bodice or similar article may be made up of this material which not only possesses utility but also attractiveness.

If desired the sections 25, 26, 28, 29 may be lined with light-weight jersey or other similar stretchable material 44.

A garment made up in accordance with my invention supports, retains and shapes the busts into lines of youthful contour, corrects the line, shape or contour of each breast, and conforms to the natural curves of the figure without tension.

While I have here shown what I believe to be simple and. efiicient forms of the invention it is to beunderstood that numerous alterations in the details of construction such as may be developed through the exigencies of use may be resorted to without transcending the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. An article of the character described comprising a bust-encircling portion, and a band joined thereto at the bottom thereof, said portion comprising bust supporting members, each member consisting of an upper and a lower section, the lower section having a gabled top edge joined to the bottom edge of the upper section whereby the joined sections are shaped to bust formation, a triangular fold having its apex substantially coincident with the apex of the top edge of said lower section and extending downwardly through said lower section to the edge of said band and stiffening said lower section beneath said bust formation, stitching making permanent said fold producing a pleat, a smaller triangular fold formed on said upper section and extending diagonally downward in a direction away from the vertical medial line of said portion, said smaller fold having the apex at its lower end, stitching making permanent said fold producing a pleat, a substantially horizontal fold extending substantially between the upper and lower sections of said members at which the upper and lower sections are secured together, and stitching securing the intermediate portion of said fold flat against said lower section.

2. An article of wearing apparel comprising a bust-encircling portion having upper and lower one-piece sections shaped to breast formations and having a vertex between said sections in each breast formation, said upper and lower sections being joined directly together by a seam extending through the mid-portion of said bust-encircling portion with a longitudinal fold extending substantially transversely of the front of the bust-encircling portion, the lower section having an approximately triangular fold extending downwardly approximately vertically from each vertex for shaping and stiffening the lower section beneath the breast formations.

DOROTHEA DOCTORS. 

